Cristiano Ronaldo hit a put up and missed out on a primary home trophy with Al Nassr by the best of margins because the Saudi Professional League facet misplaced the 2024 King’s Cup last 5-4 on penalties to nine-man Al Hilal following a 1-1 draw after further time in Jeddah.
Al Nassr, who additionally had a person despatched off, would have gained had Ali Al Hassan transformed his spot kick within the shoot-out, just for Morocco goalkeeper Yassine Bounou to avoid wasting the Saudi Arabia midfielder’s effort.
After Salem Aldawsari scored his subsequent penalty, Bounou stopped Meshari Al-Nemer’s strike to land top-flight champions Al Hilal a treble.
🔵⚪ 𝗔𝗹 𝗛𝗶𝗹𝗮𝗹 𝟭-𝟭 𝗔𝗹 𝗡𝗮𝘀𝘀𝗿 🟡🔵
The 2024 King’s Cup Ultimate will head to further time following a 1-1 end result after 90 minutes at King Abdullah Sport Metropolis.#KingsCup pic.twitter.com/oS0jSRNjWa
— Saudi Arabian Soccer Federation (@saudiff_en) Might 31, 2024
Former Fulham and Newcastle United striker Aleksandar Mitrovic had pounced to nod within the opening aim within the seventh minute at King Abdullah Sports activities Metropolis, however Ayman Yahya headed the equaliser from an extended throw-in two minutes from the tip of normal time.
Al Nassr’s nemeses returned to hang-out them for one final time this season as Al Hilal sealed one other trophy, having crushed Ronaldo’s workforce on their option to profitable the Saudi Tremendous Cup in April and completed 12 factors above them within the league.
The unbeaten victors secured a profitable defence of the King’s Cup, triumphing for an eleventh time and surviving Ronaldo discovering the woodwork with an acrobatic try two minutes after the break.
King’s Cup last: Targets, purple playing cards, penalties
Al Nassr have been hampered by the dismissal of David Ospina 11 minutes later when the ex-Napoli and Arsenal goalkeeper dealt with the ball exterior of his penalty space.
Former Liverpool ahead Sadio Mane was swiftly sacrificed to permit substitute goalkeeper Waleed Abdullah to return on.
Ospina had been making an attempt to cease Malcom, who had arrange Mitrovic’s aim, from breaking free to attain a second for Al Hilal.
⚽️ Main with MITRO’s header 📸#AlHilal 💙 pic.twitter.com/brK4Bh8hNX
— AlHilal Saudi Membership (@Alhilal_EN) Might 31, 2024
Serbia hitman Mitrovic, who’s in his first season in Saudi Arabia, may have made it 2-0 late on however despatched a one-on-one alternative vast of a put up.
Al Hilal rued that miss when Ali Albulayhi was despatched off for headbutting Sami Al-Najei within the 87th minute in an act which had the notoriously provocative defender’s personal team-mate’s remonstrating with him.
After Yahya levelled, Al Hilal misplaced each of their centre-backs when former Chelsea participant Kalidou Koulibaly noticed purple for a problem on Abdullah a minute into second-half added time.
Having made it by means of one other half-hour, Al Hilal missed their first penalty of the shoot-out when Ruben Neves despatched his shot vast, just for Alex Telles to instantly direct his over the crossbar for Al Nassr.
Ronaldo duly scored, as did Mitrovic – the one participant to return near Ronaldo’s outstanding whole of 35 objectives in 34 league matches, scoring 28 occasions.
Abdullah saved Saud Abdulhamid’s penalty to place Al Nassr getting ready to glory however Al Hassan couldn’t capitalise, Al Nemer following go well with to settle a rare decider.
